ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - November 18, 2013) - GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTCQB: GOVX), a biotechnology company developing vaccines to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, today announced that Chief Scientific Officer, Harriet L. Robinson, Ph.D., presented the 20th Annual Jesse D. Ibarra, Jr., MD Lectureship in International Health at Scott and White Healthcare and the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine. The presentation was on Friday, November 15, as part of TAMHSC Grand Rounds lecture series.
Dr. Robinson commented, "It was an honor and a privilege to be a presenter for Dr. Ibarra's Lectureship in International Health. Dr. Ibarra is now 90 years old. In the 1950's, he led the campaign to vaccinate Texans for polio virus. Our goal, now, is to create a vaccine that can be used to eradicate HIV."
In her lecture, Dr. Robinson emphasized the progress that has been made by researchers, clinicians, and industry towards an HIV vaccine and the importance of a vaccine to the "Public Health Toolkit" for prevention of AIDS. Dr. Robinson's lecture highlighted the importance to HIV vaccine development of the one partially successful efficacy trial, RV144. This trial not only showed that a HIV vaccine is possible, but also demonstrated an unexpected correlate for reduction in the risk of infection -- binding but not neutralizing antibody. She presented the hypothesis that "protective" binding Antibody blocks infections by flagging the HIV virus and HIV-infected cells for recognition and destruction by white blood cells such as macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer cells and complement (a blood protein). Dr. Robinson then presented findings on the antibody responses elicited in a Phase 2a trial of GeoVax's DNA/MVA vaccine. She presented how these responses, which are preferentially targeted to the gp41 subunit of the HIV envelope protein, are favorable for binding to the HIV virus and flagging destruction of virus or virus-infected cells by white blood cells and complement. The presentation ended with a discussion of the plans within the field for future efficacy trials. These include trials of clade C vaccines in a heterosexual setting in South Africa and trials of GeoVax's clade B vaccine in men who have sex with men in the Americas.
Following her lecture, Dr. Robinson commented on the strong interest of the Scott and White Healthcare community in a HIV vaccine. "I had always found the statistic that only 25% of infected persons in the United States are on successful drug therapy hard to believe. But the reality of this statistic is what the infectious disease doctors at Scott and White struggle to turn around in their daily treatment of HIV-infected patients. Every person who is not identified for treatment, or who is not compliant in taking their medications, is transmitting the infection as well as slowly losing their immune system and progressing towards AIDS."
About GeoVax's Technology
GeoVax's unique, two component vaccine, a recombinant DNA and a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA), is designed to stimulate both anti-HIV T cell and anti-HIV antibody immune responses. GeoVax's DNA and MVA vaccines are used in a prime/boost protocol in which priming is done with the DNA and boosting with the MVA. Both the DNA and MVA express the three major proteins of the AIDS virus: Gag, Pol, and Env, and produce non-infectious virus-like-particles. GeoVax's vaccines are unique in expressing virus-like particles that display the trimeric membrane bound form of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein. GeoVax's vaccines are currently being tested in human clinical trials, for both preventive and therapeutic applications. Clinical trials for GeoVax's preventive HIV vaccines have been conducted by the US National Institutes of Health-supported HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) with funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). Overall, GeoVax's vaccines, in various doses and combinations, have been tested in close to 500 humans.
About HIV/AIDS
AIDS can affect anyone, regardless of race, gender, age or sexual orientation. 33 million people are currently infected globally and it is estimated that there will be 2.5 million new infections this year. Since the beginning of the epidemic, over a million people in the U.S. have contracted the virus. Every 9 1/2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with AIDS. Globally, HIV is the top killer among women of reproductive age. HIV is a worldwide disease with different subtypes (or clades) of the virus predominating in different regions of the world. Clade B is the predominant subtype in North America. Globally, most infections involve Clades AG, B, and C. GeoVax most advanced vaccines under development are designed to function against Clade B. For more information, please visit www.geovax.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this document are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: HVTN will commence, complete enrollment, and generate data regarding GeoVax vaccine clinical trials as and when expected, GeoVax can develop and manufacture its vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax's vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax's vaccines will effectively prevent AIDS in humans, vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete vaccine development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective, less costly, or easier to use than GeoVax's products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control. GeoVax assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, and does not intend to do so. More information about these factors is contained in GeoVax's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those set forth at "Risk Factors" in GeoVax's Form 10-K.
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